PARIS -- The French Open lost one of its biggest names before he ever took the court.
World No. 22 Nick Kyrgios announced Sunday he was withdrawing from the year's second major because of an injured elbow.
Kyrgios sat out almost the entire clay-court swing, playing only one match, at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship, in mid-April.
"Having consulted with my team and medical experts, it is deemed too risky for me to step out and potentially play 5 sets on clay," Kyrgios wrote on Twitter. "I worked hard and desperately wanted to play Roland Garros, which is very special to me but I literally ran out of time. A dramatic spike in load on my elbow could potentially put me back to square one and with the grass-court season around the corner, it is something I cannot and will not risk."
On Saturday, Kyrgios practiced with recent doubles partner Jack Sock here in Paris and seemed likely ready to go for his opener against fellow Australian Bernard Tomic, which was one of the most anticipated first-round matchups.
Despite not playing, Kyrgios did say he is pain-free and will soon begin his training for the rest of the 2018.
In January, Kyrgios won his opening tournament of the year, at the Brisbane International, but has not fared particularly well since, notably going just 3-2 at the Indian Wells-Miami double.
Tomic is still scheduled to play his first match Tuesday against a lucky loser.